Chapter 141 News

Xu Chen and Jiang Beici hid within a dense thicket, suppressing their presence to the absolute minimum. Their eagle-like gazes locked tightly onto the distance.

Suddenly, Xu Chen moved. Drawing his bow to a full moon, he directly loosed four arrows.

In the distance, a beam of spiritual light rose, and immediately afterward, Xu Chen's hands blurred into afterimages. Utilizing the trajectories of the surprise arrows he had just fired at the distant targets, he picked them off one by one.

There were twenty arrows in the quiver. Aside from the previous four that had taken down a target, the remaining sixteen arrows had only ambushed two people, and one of those hadn't even died.

Two warm currents surged from within his body, increasing his physical strength by one hundred catties.

"It's a pity that this quiver restores arrows far too slowly."

Before Xu Chen could even finish his sentence, Jiang Beici beside him abruptly grabbed him and began shifting their position.

A black spear, traveling so fast that its afterimage was invisible, brushed past Jiang Beici's shield and struck the spot where Xu Chen had just been standing.

At that exact moment, a divine weapon descended from the pillar of yellow light.

Instantly, with the divine weapon as the epicenter, the surrounding area erupted into turmoil.

"The first divine weapon is always the most fiercely contested. The first wave to step forward and fight for it will definitely die. We'll wait for an opportunity."

The two shifted to another hidden location.

In the distance where the divine weapon had appeared, more than a dozen figures rushed toward it.

"A Profound Immortal Sword. Too bad it's not a saber," Xu Chen remarked.

"Sword users are the most numerous. It looks like this time it's going to trigger a chaotic brawl involving hundreds of people," Jiang Beici observed from afar.

As soon as those dozen figures rushed in, more than a hundred other figures immediately surrounded them.

A massive melee erupted right then and there.

Xu Chen looked at his quiver, shooting arrows almost as fast as they regenerated.

"They're all so strong," Xu Chen couldn't help but sigh.

Xu Chen had loosed twenty arrows, yet he had only claimed a single head.

"If they were all in the Blood and Qi Realm, you'd probably be able to slaughter them with ease."

"But there are too many high-realm cultivators in here; coming in puts you at a real disadvantage," Jiang Beici said leisurely as he watched the distant battlefield.

"I like taking on challenging tasks the most."

At that moment, another arrow regenerated in the quiver. Xu Chen drew it out and took aim at the battlefield.

Jiang Beici kept watch on the side, knowing full well that hidden figures in the vicinity must have noticed them.

Sure enough, the very instant Xu Chen released his arrow, a spear hurtled toward them once again.

"Damn it, they're like clinging ghosts!"

Jiang Beici pulled Xu Chen aside, dodging the spear once more.

Meanwhile, Xu Chen's arrow traversed a hundred zhang and directly struck a man right between the eyebrows.

"Not bad."

At the center of the battlefield, a man clutching the divine weapon Profound Immortal Sword was attempting to break through the encirclement.

However, over a hundred surrounding people had sealed off the battlefield completely.

"I can't escape."

"But you needn't hope to get it either."

With that, the man violently flung the divine weapon in his hand upward into the sky.

Instantly, everyone's gazes followed the flying Profound Immortal Sword.

The direction the Profound Immortal Sword flew toward was precisely the hiding spot of Xu Chen and Jiang Beici.

"Old crafty bastard, you think I didn't notice you?"

At that moment, an arrow had just regenerated in Xu Chen's quiver.

Drawing the arrow and pulling his bow to a full moon, he eyed the divine weapon in the sky, found the right angle, and loosed an arrow.

*Clang!*

The divine weapon spinning through the sky was struck squarely by the arrow, causing it to violently deflect and fly off in another direction.

Meanwhile, a hidden old crafty bastard, who had been waiting for his spear to regenerate, watched the divine weapon flying toward him with a slight curl at the corner of his lips.

"Interesting."

The location of the second divine weapon had already spawned, and Xu Chen and Jiang Beici sprinted toward that direction.

"How many matches have you played in this game?" Xu Chen asked along the way.

"It hasn't been open long, only around thirty matches or so. Too bad I've never won."

"The registration fee is acceptable. As long as you win one match within a hundred, it's not a loss."

"It's rare to find a game that serves as a pastime and also earns Human Tribe contribution points."

"It's somewhat helpful for improving combat prowess," Jiang Beici replied.

"These people are all too strong, especially those experts who have stepped onto the immortal Dao coming to play as well. There's simply no certainty of winning," Xu Chen sighed.

During that massive melee, Xu Chen felt that almost everyone had pushed their physical strength to the limit. Every move and technique was naturally perfected without a single flaw.

As the two were running toward that area, a flash of sword light pierced straight toward them.

"Leave this one to me." Seeing that sword shadow, Jiang Beici's eyes lit up; it was finally his turn to shine.

In an instant, the Fire-Control Bead in Jiang Beici's hand blazed with blazing light. Blade-like flames, firebirds, and even dragons formed from fire flew toward the sword shadow like magical arts and divine abilities.

Holding a shield in one hand and the Fire-Control Bead in the other, Jiang Beici fought the sword shadow to a standstill.

Watching this scene from afar, Xu Chen felt a slight scalp-tingling sensation. Under equivalent strength, he felt he would hardly stand a chance against the person wielding that long sword.

"Need any help?" Xu Chen asked, seeing that his brother was unable to secure a quick victory.

"No need. Just make sure people around us don't take advantage of the situation."

At this point, the quiver in Xu Chen's hand had restored to twenty arrows, though the long saber on his back had yet to be drawn even once.

*Boom!*

Before the energy of the Fire-Control Bead in Jiang Beici's hand was entirely exhausted, he finally managed to slay the swordsman.

"If I had known there was a game like this, I would have learned a bow-and-arrow divine ability."

*Clang!!*

Xu Chen abruptly drew his saber, slashing down an arrow aimed at Jiang Beici.

"Actually, I could have blocked it."

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Fixing his gaze on the direction, Xu Chen loosed three arrows in a flash.

"Save your energy," Xu Chen smiled slightly.

The two continued running toward the location of the second divine weapon.

From then on, neither of them managed to seize a divine weapon, though they killed quite a few people along the way.

It wasn't until the tenth divine weapon appeared that a cloud of poisonous fog began to shroud the entire world.

Eventually, after the person who captured the tenth divine weapon killed twenty people and departed, the entire world was completely blanketed by the toxic fog.

"This game is getting harder and harder to play. Those high-cultivation guys are simply too outrageous," Jiang Beici said, somewhat depressed.

"Didn't they say the matchmaking system will come out after a while? It should be much easier by then."

In his mind, Xu Chen recalled the combat scenes within the game, unable to help but marvel that the heroes of this world were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

"That's true as well. Hurry up and cultivate to break through, so we can fight shoulder to shoulder then."

Right at that moment, Jiang Beici's expression shifted slightly as if he had received some message.

"I have some matters to attend to here, logging off first," Jiang Beici said, looking at Xu Chen.

"Go ahead, contact me when you have time," Xu Chen nodded.

Jiang Beici's figure vanished, and Xu Chen returned to the floating immortal island.

On the fairylike floating island, Xu Chen meditated on the Dao texts he had studied today.

Within the pristine white space, having finished studying the Dao texts, Xu Chen began his daily routine of being beaten to submission.

On a battlefield ravaged by giant beasts, two figures fought fiercely.

With the simplest charging punch from the clone, Xu Chen was sent flying dozens of *zhang* with his arms crossed in defense.

Unlike the beginning, when he would charge in recklessly and use whatever was at hand with the sole intent of killing, Xu Chen's current spars with the clone had changed. He could neither beat the clone nor outsmart it, so Xu Chen adopted a new strategy: grinding it out.

He didn't seek to win; he only sought to keep fighting continuously.

"Kid, you've got some tricks, but you're still too green."

The clone slapped a palm onto Xu Chen once again, and the combat ended.

A short while later, Xu Chen pushed open the door and entered once more.

"If I'm green, I'll just practice more. An expert's combat techniques are well worth my study."

Xu Chen engaged in combat once again, devoting all his energy this time to observing the clone.

A day, two days, half a month, a month.

Whenever Jiang Beici had time, Xu Chen would accompany him to the divine weapon battlefield; when he didn't, it was a strict two-point line between the pristine white space and Myriad Dao Peak.

As he fought the clone, Xu Chen discovered that his combat prowess was inexplicably improving, which manifested itself clearly during his fights with his good brother in the divine weapon battlefield.

Whether in ranged or close combat, Xu Chen felt increasingly at ease.

Just as Xu Chen felt everything was progressing smoothly, a piece of news suddenly arrived from the front lines.

Inside the wine restaurant of the Human Tribe market in Daxi Sect.

"The Holy Spirit Celestial Court has launched an all-out war against our Human Tribe across the entire front?" At first, Xu Chen thought he had heard wrong.

"That's right, it's an all-out war."

"The Great Daos of those superior races have all gone to the battlefield."

"Armies from every state are now being sent to the front lines in massive batches."

"Major cities in Leizhou have already begun drafting soldiers," Zong Changshou said, his eyes carrying a hint of yearning.

"It's a pity the minimum requirement is the Precious Body Realm. If you want to go to the battlefield, you still need to cultivate for a while longer," Li Chengfu said with a hint of regret.

"Cultivate a bit longer, and once we reach the Precious Body Realm, we can go together," Xu Chen said.

Having arrived in this world, Xu Chen's greatest realization was that the hawkish faction existed among the common folk.

Anyone with even a sliver of strength wanted to join the tribal army to achieve greatness, establish merit, and defy the heavens to alter their destiny.

Whenever an all-out war broke out with a slightly larger tribe, anyone with the courage to join the front-line army who managed to survive would undoubtedly transform their current situation.

Even if they died, there was a survivor's pension of spiritual coins sufficient to support their family for the rest of their lives.

That was precisely how his old man had walked this path—an ordinary commoner who cultivated the crudest Blood and Qi Foundation Establishment Method to reach the Precious Body Realm, and then boldly plunged into the army to fight alien races, thus earning the status he held today.

"Can you bear to part with your current life of luxury and those three pretty concubines?" Xu Chen suddenly thought to ask.

"How could that compare to establishing merit and having your name placed alone on the tribal ancestral registry? If I die a heroic death and enter the Human Tribe's Temple of Martyrs, I'll have no regrets even in death."

"Besides, can't one reincarnate and recultivate anyway?" Li Chengfu spoke with great righteousness at first, but chuckled sheepishly at the very end.

"You really do have high awareness," Zong Changshou rolled his eyes.

"Everyone go back and cultivate diligently. Our sect has already started sending disciples with Precious Body Realm cultivation and above to the front lines."

"Who knows how long this war will drag on." Zong Changshou raised his wine cup to toast the two of them.

"Then let's all cultivate faster, so we can strive to fight shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield."

The three returned to Tianyun Island. As soon as Xu Chen returned to his own cavern dwelling, he sent a message to his old man.

A reply came back shortly.

"The old man has gone to the battlefield again."

With that, Xu Chen entered the Human Dao Realm, specifically the Human Tribe's treasure vault.

The treasure vault realm resembled a starry cosmos, with massive floating islands drifting within it.

As soon as Xu Chen arrived, someone came to receive him.

"What would you like to exchange for?" the clerk greeting Xu Chen asked.

"My father, Xu Qiangjia, has gone to the front lines. I want to leave a wisp of his soul in the Human Emperor Temple, just in case."

"How many contribution points will that cost?"